Colonel George de Cardonnel Elmsall Findlay VC MC & Bar (20 August 1889 – 26 June 1967) was a Scottish recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Findlay was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in January 1910. He was awarded a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

for gallantry at the

Battle of Passchendale The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

after which he took command of 409 (Lowland) Field Company, a territorial company in June 1917.

VC details

He was 29 years old, and an acting major in the 409 (Lowland) Field Company,

Corps of Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when the following deed took place during the second battle of Sambre for which he was awarded the VC. On 4 November 1918 during the forcing of the Sambre-Oise Canal at the lock south of

Catillon Catillon-sur-Sambre (, literally ''Catillon on Sambre'') is a commune of the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the ...

, France, Major Findlay was with the leading bridging and assaulting parties which came under heavy fire and the advance was stopped. Nevertheless, he collected what men he could and repaired the bridge, under incessant fire. Although wounded he continued with his task and after two unsuccessful efforts managed to place the bridge in position across the lock and was the first man across, remaining at this dangerous post until further work was completed. The family story goes that the reason Major Findlay crossed safely was because he was a slow runner. The Germans overcompensated their aim and thus missed him as he led his men across the bridge.

Further information

Findlay was educated at St Ninian's Prep School,

Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...

and Harrow School. He later achieved the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He became Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Dumbarton in 1957. Findlay is buried at Kilmaronock Church, near Gartocharn, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland in his family plot.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum,

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

, Kent.

References

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...

(David Harvey, 1999) *

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...

(This England, 1997) *

The Sapper VCs The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

(Gerald Napier, 1998) *

Scotland's Forgotten Valour ''Scotland's Forgotten Valour'' is a 1995 book by Graham Ross, published by MacLean Press under . (The typography of the title on the book uses capitalisation to contrast emphasis ("SCOTLAND'S FORgotten VALOUR"), to communicate additional meanin ...

(Graham Ross, 1995) * VCs of the First World War - The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)

External links

Royal Engineers Museum
Sappers VCs

''(Strathclyde)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Findlay, George De Cardonnel Elmsall British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II 1889 births 1967 deaths People educated at St Ninian's School, Moffat People educated at Harrow School People from West Dunbartonshire Deputy Lieutenants of Dunbartonshire Recipients of the Military Cross British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross